708 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS 
[March 2, 1872. 
PUBLIC DINNER TO SIR ROBERT CHRISTISON. 
Sir Robert Christison, Bart., having completed the 
fiftieth year of his professoi’iate in the University of 
Edinburgh, it was resolved, as we announced in a recent 
number, to take advantage of the occurrence to testify 
to that distinguished physician and pharmaceutist the 
esteem in which he was held by students formerly or at 
present under his tuition, and by scientific men and the 
public at large, by inviting him to a public dinner in 
Edinburgh, on Friday, 23rd February. 
The day’s proceedings were commenced by the pre¬ 
sentation to Sir Robert of a sword of honour that had 
been subscribed for by the officers and privates of the 
University (Fourth) Company of the Queen’s Edinburgh 
Volunteer Rifle Brigade. 
This was followed by the presentation of an address of 
congratulation from the Edinburgh University Club in 
London. The presentation took place in the Library of 
the University. Principal Sir Alexander Grant occu¬ 
pied the chair, and nearly all the professors of the Uni¬ 
versity, in their robes, were present. The deputation 
consisted of Dr. Dyce Duckworth (who read the address), 
Dr. Alexander Halley and Mr. Richard Davy. 
At half-past six a company, numbering about two 
hundred and fifty gentlemen, sat down to dinner in the 
Douglas Hotel. The Right Hon. John Inglis, Lord 
Justice-General, Chancellor-of the University of Edin¬ 
burgh, occupied the chair. The croupiers were Sir 
William Stirling-Max well, Bart.; Sir Alexander Grant, 
Bart.; Robert Patterson, Esq., M.D., President of the 
Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh; William 
Walker, Esq., President of the Royal College of Sur¬ 
geons, Edinburgh; and G. Fleming, Esq., President of 
the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow. 
After the usual loyal and municipal toasts, the Chair¬ 
man rose to propose the toast of the evening. He said 
that, on the 23rd of February, 1822, Dr. Robert Christi¬ 
son was installed into the Professorship of Medical J uris- 
prudence in the University of Edinburgh, and from that 
date to this, uninterruptedly, he had exercised the func¬ 
tions of a Professor in that University. It had been his 
rare fortune to pass through that protracted career with¬ 
out any serious disturbance or check, and after earning 
a reputation of which the greatest and wisest might be 
proud, he stood before them that day in all the strength 
of his manhood ; his physical energies scarcely affected, 
and his intellectual powers as fresh and vigorous as they 
were in what most men esteem the prime of life. Sir 
Robert might be said to be a favourite child of the Univer¬ 
sity, for, although not born in the academic purple, when 
he was only nine years of age his father became a Pro¬ 
fessor. Consequently, he received all his university educa¬ 
tion in the same place, and having passed through a long 
course of medical and surgical study, he took his degree of 
M.D. just four years before he became Professor himself.' 
Having been thus efficiently equipped, Sir Robert met 
his class, which consisted of only seven students. He 
was ten years in the chair, and bequeathed to his suc¬ 
cessor a class of ninety students ; but in the interval, in 
1829, he published the first edition of his ‘ Treatise on 
Poisons,’—a work which was at'once received by physi¬ 
cians and jurists and men of science as the most philo¬ 
sophic and complete work that had yet been published 
on the subject. Many changes had been introduced in 
the details of toxicological manipulation ; but so far as 
principles were concerned, and as far as the exposition 
of the nature and action of poisons was concerned, he 
believed it to ba still unrivalled. In the preparation of 
such a work the most accurate observations wero required 
in the selection of material, the most perfect foresight in 
avoiding all disturbing elements in the conduct of his 
experiments, and the most vigilant observations during 
those processes. Some of the experiments which the 
toxicologist must make were marked by other character¬ 
istics, such as (he begged pardon for saying it) enthu¬ 
siasm and courage bordering on foolhardiness; anc& 
amongst other adventures, Sir Robert dabbled in poisons, 
and experimented on his own precious person in a way 
that they would scarcely believe. His Lordship proceeded 
to speak of Sir Robert’s experiments to find out whether 
arsenious acid had a sweet or a bad acrid taste. Sir- 
Robert pronounced it to have a sweet taste, and this view 
was adopted by almost all toxicologists, with the excep¬ 
tion of Orfila. Another subject which occupied Sir 
Robert was his experiments on Calabar beans. On one’ 
occasion he took a dose of these before going to bed, and 
found that it acted a good deal like opium. He had a 
good sleep and felt very comfortable next morning, and 
rather disappointed at the result, so he took a considerably 
larger dose before he dressed himself. Ere he had con¬ 
cluded dressing, the doctor felt satisfied that he had got- 
hold of a very energetic poison; for the truth was that 
he collapsed, and no one could tell what the consequences 
might have been if he had not swallowed his shaving 
water as an emetic. He became partially relieved, but 
still the symptoms were very alarming, and he rang for 
his son and asked him to send for two medical men. His- 
Lordship then proceeded to bear testimony to Professor 
Christison’s position as a medical jurist; he meant his 
appearance as an expert in courts of justice. He began 
very early in the year 1829 as a skilled witness in the 
famous trial of Burke and Hare, and he believed the 
last case in which he appeared was in 1866, in a civil 
case popularly known as the “ Esk Pollution Case.” In. 
the whole of that interval Sir Robert Christison was en¬ 
gaged in every case of importance that occurred in Scotland. 
and frequently in England, amongst others in the trial of 
Palmer for poisoning by strychnine. Sir Robert never 
went into the witness-box in the spirit of a partisan, but. 
always as a medical jurist, to aid the Court and the jury in 
the elucidation of truth, and in serving the ends of justice. 
Sir Robert’s transference to' the Chair of Materia Medica 
in 1832, and the lamented death in rapid succession 
of three great physicians in this city—Abercromby, 
Alison and Davidson—diverted his attention to another 
channel, and led to an extehsive practice as a physician. 
His Lordship concluded amidst loud and prolonged 
cheering, by proposing “ The health of Sir Robert 
Christison, Bart.” 
In responding, Sir Robert alluded to the great kind¬ 
ness he had received, and especially during the last 
twelve years. In that time he had been thrice chosen 
by his colleagues representative of the Senatus Acade- 
micus in the University Court. He was also appointed 
by her Majesty to represent the profession in Scotland 
upon the Medical Council, and had since been twice re¬ 
elected. He was next requested to turn soldier, and take- 
charge of the University Rifle Company. A few years- 
afterwards he received the degree of D.C.L. from the 
University of Oxford. His portrait had previously been 
placed upon the Avails of the College of Physicians, and 
now some friends obtained the placing of his bust in the 
hall of the University, and presented a duplicate of the 
bust to his family. Then he was elected President of 
the Royal Society, and this was followed by the quite 
unexpected honour that her Majesty had conferred upon 
him in making him a baronet. In looking over the re¬ 
cords of the University, he found that the honour paid 
him on that occasion was unprecedented. Of the many 
professors, only one, Professor Jameson, survived his 
first appointment fifty years, and in that case it Avas only 
by twenty days, and the professor’s health was so feeble 
as to preclude any such compliment as that they had 
paid to him. Sir Robert attributed his success to the 
fact that he had always resolved to attend to the par¬ 
ticular duties of his office, Avhatever they might be. 
During the evening a telegram was received to the 
effect that “The Vice-Chancellor and other friends at 
Cambridge drink to the health of Professor Sir Robert 
Christison, Bart.” 
